Theorem Pier Paolo Pasolini

(aka "Theorem")

directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Italy 1968

A handsome, enigmatic stranger (Terence Stamp) arrives at a bourgeois household in Milan and successfully seduces each family member, not forgetting the maid. Then, as abruptly and mysteriously as he arrive, he departs. Unable to endure the void left in their lives, the father (Massimo Girotti) hands over his factory to the workers, the son abandons his vocation as a painter, the mother (Silvana Mangano) abandons herself to random sexual encounters, and the daughter sinks into catatonia. The maid (Laura Betti, Best Actress, Venice 1968), however, becomes a saint.

***

In Theorem, Pasolini achieved his most perfect fusion of Marxism and religion with a film that is both political allegory and mystical fable. Terence Stamp plays the mysterious Christ or Devil figure who stays briefly with a wealthy Italian family, seducing them one by one. He then goes as quickly as he had come, leaving their whole life-pattern in ruins. What would be pretentious and strained in the hands of most directors, with Pasolini takes on an intense air of magical revelation. In fact, the superficially improbable plot retains all the logic and certainty of a detective story. With bizarre appropriateness, it was one of the last films made by Stamp before he virtually disappeared from the international film scene for some years.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

***

"Teorema is Pasolini's meditation on lack of communication and understanding among bourgeoisie. It's his "Discreet alienation of the bourgeoisie", if you will. The film is full of allegory images, that some find too pretentious. The eccentric Italian director's atmospheric tale of a prominent, dysfunctional Milanese family which engineers its own destruction when a spiritually minded stranger moves in on them."

Gregory Meshman

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 4th, 1968 - Venice Film Festival

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DVD Comparison:

Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL vs. Films Sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL

Screenshots courtesy of Per-Olof Strandberg, Gregory Meshman and Pavel Borodin !

(Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Koch Lorber Region 0 - NTSC	BFI Region 2 - PAL	Films Sans Frontieres Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:37:57	1:34:15	1:34:06
Video	1:1.85 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.80 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1:1.85 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.30 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen Average Bitrate: 5.40 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Koch
Bitrate: BFI
Bitrate: Films Sans Frontieres
Audio	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, None	English, None	French and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Koch Lorber Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.85 Edition Details: • Pasolini and Death: A Purely Intellectual Thriller (52:30 / 1:1.66 / 4:3) DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 13	Release Information: Studio: BFI Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.85 Edition Details: • Commentary by Robert Gordon • Interview with Terence Stamp • 14-page liner notes booklet DVD Release Date: September 24th, 2007 Keep Case Chapters: 14	Release Information: Studio: Films Sans Frontieres Aspect Ratio: Widescreen- 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Filmography DVD Release Date: 2003 Keep Case Chapters 5

Comments:

ADDITION: BFI - Region 2 - PAL Sept 07': Finally - this is the strongest image by a wide margin - the screen captures tell the story below. It is rich, dark at times but colors have a vibrancy and detail is vastly improved. There is some movement in the frame with all three editions. The progressive, anamorphic and dual-layered BFI DVD has Italian audio and optional English subtitles.

Extras include a half hour interview with Terence Stamp and an excellent commentary by Italian Film expert Robert Gordon who is precise and professional in his manner - a great listen as his knowledge is extensive (as good as any commentarist I've heard this year). Included is a fully illustrated 14-page booklet including an essay by Italian film expert Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, review by Philip Strick from 1969 and biographies of Pasolini and Stamp.

No contest - the BFI is the best!

***

ADDITION: Koch Lorber - Region 0 NTSC Dec 05'- The Image in the Koch Lorber DVD is very similar to the BFI, although the Koch Lorber is anamorphic. The picture in this DVD is fairly good, even though there is a lack of detail, and the picture is quite pale.

The Italian soundtrack is clean, although made from an optical source, there's in the end and beginning of every film reel some dirt (popping). The sound on my system was at a very low level.

For some strange reason the sound in the documentary Pasolini and Death: A Purely Intellectual Thriller is overdubbed in English. A very odd decision, when many parts of the documentary are basically an interview.

These seems to be the only English subtitled DVD of the film. The subtitles on the Koch Lorber DVD are yellow.

- Per-Olof Strandberg

DVD Menus

Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC

(BFI - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

BFI Subtitle Sample

Screen Captures

(Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

(Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

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Report Card:

Image:	BFI
Sound:	-
Extras:	BFI
Menu:	BFI

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Koch Lorber

Region 0 - NTSC

BFI

Region 2 - PAL

Films Sans Frontieres
Region 2 - PAL